The Meaning of Riya' and Mentioning Its Categories
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Your Eminence! Some scholars divide riya' into riya' of shirk and riya' of sincerity.And it was narrated from al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad that he said: They say that whoever performs an act of obedience for the sake of people is committing riya', and whoever leaves off an act of obedience out of fear of riya' is committing shirk. What is the meaning of this division? And what is its connection to the statement of al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah preserve you?
Riya', may Allah bless you: It is that a person performs an act of worship so that people see him and praise him for it, and he has no intention of benefiting from it in the Hereafter; rather, he only wants fame and renown among people. This is riya'.But it is sometimes said: Riya' and sum'ah. Riya' is for what is seen, and sum'ah is for what is heard. Then, riya' may be major shirk or minor shirk, depending on what arises in the heart of the doer. So, if a person performs an act of worship solely for the sake of riya', then he is a mushrik committing major shirk; because he did not intend anything for Allah the Exalted at all, and he does not seek to draw near to Him; rather, he only seeks to draw near to people. And if a person seeks Allah Mighty and Majestic, but he loves for people to see him so that they praise him, then this is riya' and it does not reach the level of major shirk. For this reason, you find in Ibn al-Qayyim's (may Allah have mercy on him) expression for minor shirk that he says: and slight riya'.And this means: That much riya' is greater than that. However, if riya' occurs in a person's worship and then he repels it and does not rely on it, then this riya' does not harm him. Rather, he is a mujahid who has the reward of the worship and the reward of the struggle, namely: the struggle of the self against riya'. But it is better for one in whom riya' does not occur in his heart at all.As came in the authentic hadith: (The one skilled in the Qur'an with the noble, righteous angels, and the one who recites the Qur'an and stammers over it has two rewards) So, pure riya' is major shirk, and riya' mixed with sincerity for Allah Mighty and Majestic is minor shirk. And as for the riya' that comes to the heart, if a person yields to it, he has fallen into its minor or major form. And if he tries to get rid of it and repels it, then it does not harm him.
Riya', may Allah bless you: It is that a person performs an act of worship so that people see him and praise him for it, and he has no intention of benefiting from it in the Hereafter; rather, he only wants fame and renown among people. This is riya'.But it is sometimes said: Riya' and sum'ah. Riya' is for what is seen, and sum'ah is for what is heard. Then, riya' may be major shirk or minor shirk, depending on what arises in the heart of the doer. So, if a person performs an act of worship solely for the sake of riya', then he is a mushrik committing major shirk; because he did not intend anything for Allah the Exalted at all, and he does not seek to draw near to Him; rather, he only seeks to draw near to people. And if a person seeks Allah Mighty and Majestic, but he loves for people to see him so that they praise him, then this is riya' and it does not reach the level of major shirk. For this reason, you find in Ibn al-Qayyim's (may Allah have mercy on him) expression for minor shirk that he says: and slight riya'.And this means: That much riya' is greater than that. However, if riya' occurs in a person's worship and then he repels it and does not rely on it, then this riya' does not harm him. Rather, he is a mujahid who has the reward of the worship and the reward of the struggle, namely: the struggle of the self against riya'. But it is better for one in whom riya' does not occur in his heart at all.As came in the authentic hadith: (The one skilled in the Qur'an with the noble, righteous angels, and the one who recites the Qur'an and stammers over it has two rewards) So, pure riya' is major shirk, and riya' mixed with sincerity for Allah Mighty and Majestic is minor shirk. And as for the riya' that comes to the heart, if a person yields to it, he has fallen into its minor or major form. And if he tries to get rid of it and repels it, then it does not harm him.